qwertyy

I love the mini bananas found in almost every tropical country around the world. I never even imagined a banana could taste juicy before having one of these delicious little items. And every time I return to the US, I excitedly buy up the mini-bananas I find at Fresh Fields... only to be sorely disappointed by bananas that taste exactly like the large ones. Somebody's got to start importing these tasty babies. I could probably support the trade on my own!

Nor, apparently, do we need a critic telling us about bad restaurants we shouldn't bother with. Seems they're all okee doke around here!

No, I'm not. I just find it queer that the vast majority of restaurants in DC--a city Sietsema himself calls distinguished, food-wise--are ranked at essentially the same very narrow level of quality.

Ah. Yes. Sorry--jet lag. But food, service, and space on Qantas and Kenya Air domestic flights have been markedly better than anything I've gotten on U.S. airlines in a looooong time.

KLM, Kenya Airways, BA, Qantas, and the other intra-continentals I've flown over the past couple of years have decidedly not cut back on food-drink service. On an 8-hour Kenya Air flight and an 8-hour KLM flight just last weekend, we were served two large, very good meals, water and juice were passed at least once an hour, and full drink service (including free booze) and snacks were available in the galley during the entire flight.

May 28 Ardeo: 2.5 May 21 Lima: 2 May 14 [No review] May 7 [No review] April 30 Viridian: 2 April 23 Willard Room: 1.5 April 16 Simply Home: 2 April 9 Birreria Paradiso: 2 April 2 100 King: 2.5 March 26 [Out of town restaurants-no stars given] March 19 Faryab: 2 March 19 Grapeseed: 1.5 March 19 Passage to India: 2 March 12: Sette Bello: 2 March 5 Fogo de Chao: 2 February 26 David Craig: 2.5 February 19 Rasika: 2.5 February 12 [Romantic restaurants-no stars given] January 29 Oya: 2.5 January 22 Acadiana: 2 Janaury 15 Cafe de Paris: 2 January 15 Evening Star Cafe: 2 January 15 Farenheit: 1.5 January 8 L'Auberge Provencale: 2.5 So basically, in 2006, Eve and 1789 are the only restaurants to break outside of the 1.5-2.5 star box with THREE WHOLE stars (not 3.5! or god forbid 4!). Depressing that DC's scene is apparently so consistently middling. I think I'd spew my Sunday coffee if I ever got to read about an area restaurant that was considered significantly better or worse than average. Or maybe average is just what gets reviewed?

So why do I always eat very well on foreign airlines, whose tickets are of equal cost or cheaper? It's only on U.S. airlines that I've observed an atrocious, inexcusable drop in the quality of food, service, and space.

Kenya Nairobi Java House: Very popular, very overrated. Not great food, just short of horrible service. The chai teapot is nice. Locations throughout Nairobi, including Jomo Kenyatta airport, where it is the best/only place to sip and wait. Wilson airport is graced by a Dorman's--the other Nairobi coffee chain--which is better. Karen Blixen Gardens: Lovely setting, a terrific chickpea salad, cold Tusker, slow service. Norfolk Hotel: Several different restaurants offering terrific food, cold Tusker, slow service (see a pattern???). Favorites include the tilapia curry, lamb shwarma, and Greek salad. Chicken makhani is also good, but go with the fish if you're looking for curry (all are served with chapati, rice, and toppings on the side--yogurt and diced onion, tomato, and pineapple). Sandwiches are served on this oddly thick, dense bread that's quite good but deadens the flavor of the filling. Caesar salad is tasty, but invariably way overdressed. For breakfast, get the East African, which comes with good porridge, chapati, and mandazi--an African "donut" that's basically fried dough with just a hint of sugar. I didn't try the famous Carnivore, which no longer serves game meat, or Haandi, which friends say has become a watered-down, milquetoast version of itself. Outside Nairobi Mara Siria: A tented bush camp in the Maasai Mara. Considering that the place runs on solar power and very limited water, the food was amazing. A favorite: fish "fajitas" served on chapati with "salsa" using chili sauce as a base. Kiambethu Farm: A tea plantation outside Nairobi where you can arrange for a half-day's visit, including a quick nature walk, explanation of the tea growing process, and lunch, all on and around the grounds of a lovely English manor. Lunch is homey and tasty--soup, salad, stew, and mashed potatoes, with cheeses and custards for dessert. Sudan Khartoum Solitaire's: Popular with the expats, decent sandwich and salad fare. Portions are HUGE; my pesto, sun-dried tomato, and mozzarella sandwich was actually four large pieces, and plenty for two. Definitely get the minted lemonade. Kavoo's: Decent chicken shwarma in a tasty thin pita. Cheap! Fast! Grand Cafe: Delicious lentil soup and tasty offerings on the salad bar. Icky fast-food-ish interior, bad service. The Hilton: Wildly overpriced (twenty bucks for a continental breakfast???), stale baked goods, but it won't make you sick or anything. Juba The U.S. compound is THE place to eat. Period. Consulting chef is in from the Bellagio. Lobby for an invite.

I think what bugs me about the reaction to Ms. Grace's posting is that she provided plenty of information on which the discerning reader could make his or her own conclusions. A brown ring on the scallops? I think that means they're properly cooked, so I disregard that criticism. Pine nuts on pesto? I think that's a terrific taste and textural addition, so I disregard that criticism. Likewise, someone who criticizes foie just because it's served hot is really not someone I'm going to run to for food advice. Similarly, a restaurateur who publicly, derisively dismisses someone's opinions is not someone I'm going to run to share a meal with either. Just my opinion. Edited to add: I just read an interesting article in the New York Times on a parallel issue--Internet TV critics.

DC: all the charm of the north, all the efficiency of the south.

Maybe this is how Mie N Yu really earned that RAMMY...

I make a fabulous curried turkey salad with mayo, spices, grated onions and--the secret ingredient--cranberries from cranberry sauce. It's delish, and has a whiff of the holidays.

Seriously! What kind of schmoes was that person dining with that they would let him/her sit there through the whole meal just eating out of the bread basket?!?This is definitely a restaurant failure, but yeesh--act up, people.

Well, since 17th Street is also known more for its flesh than its food, maybe it's a perfect name!

Weird that everyone complained about pre-taste salters... but no one mentioned how obnoxious it is to have someone offer you freshly cracked pepper on your salad before you can taste it. Rightly or wrongly, I always take that as an admission that the food is improperly seasoned.

Sooooooo? Did it open as planned? Who's been? How is it? I need to get my cheese on!

Dremo's also has an amazing assortment of beers... but I wouldn't have furniture from either there or Bedrock in my apartment. Dive bars they remain! (I do like the Bedrock art, though...)

There are a few good hot dog stands throughout the park--Dominic's maybe? They're stand-alone carts, generally opposite the Aramark permanent concession windows. Always a long line, but you can get a good sized flat-grilled dog or italian sausage with onions and peppers or sauerkraut. MUCH better than the weenie weenies Aramark hawks.Also, don't forget you can carry in your own. And the peanuts sold by the vendors outside the stadium are about two bucks cheaper than the ones sold inside...

Thanks, Rog. I've been [shudder] working...I'm partial to the jukebox at Bedrock myself, where (to bring it back to food) you can bring in any kind of food you like or get anything delivered. They have a folder of menus behind the bar.

I like that they're identified as "celebrity chefs." If they were just titled "chefs," who'd bother?

Et voila: Perfect Dives, WP, 4/9/06.

Cooler still: not only did Pearl Jam hang out there, none of the other patrons or the bar staff are sharing any details with the press!

I had a terrific meal a few weeks ago at Range [Closed Jan 1, 2017], a new restaurant in the Mission. My friends and I shared a few starters, which I followed with spinach soup instead of a salad. This was a nice surprise; the soup didn't lend any of that dry-mouth feel that I sometimes get from spinach, even though, according to the server, it was completely vegan except for the dollop of cream in the middle. Nice, tasty, and interesting, even for a meat-lover. For a main, I usually don't order the chicken, but my dining companions had ordered every other dish I was interested in, and the chicken got breathless raves, so I said what the heck. And it was phenomenal. The meat and its sides had innovative but not overpowering flavors and were cooked perfectly. So were all the other dishes at the table (which I of course got tastes of). Finally, after a tremendous chocolate souffle and a tasty alcohol+coffee concoction I had to throw in the towel and call it a night. Incidentally, not only was the food amazing, our server was just great--friendly, knowledgeable on the food, and extremely well-versed on the wine. And to top it all off, the entree prices ranged from $16-20, appetizers $6-13. The San Franciscans at the table all commented that the place could have easily tacked on $4-6 an entree without changing a thing, and it'd still be a deal. And who knows--maybe they will in a few weeks. But my friends are right: that restaurant would still be a find. I highly recommend giving it a go before everyone else discovers it! (or even after!)

The carry-out part of Petit Plats is the subject of today's Weekly Dish. I've only been in to pick up dinner once, a couple of months ago when it first opened. I remember paying quite a pretty penny for an okay small lobster bisque and an apple and endive salad. Sounds from Tom's article I should head back for a proper entree...

Jambo! So it looks like I could be spending several weeks in Nairobi this summer for work, with possible side trips to Khartoum. While in Kenya, I hope to be able take my weekends out of the city at the closer-in game parks. Who has dining recommendations? Since I might be there for a while, I'm looking for the gamut--breakfast, lunch, dinner, quick local food, destination special meals... Also, any knowledge about Kenyan and Sudanese cooking (like, how it differs from its neighbors, Ethiopia and Uganda, whose cuisines I'm familiar with) would be much appreciated. Thanks!